During the recent OAS General Assembly, IICA’s Secretary of External Affairs expressed the Administration’s desire to continue supporting the agencies, meetings and mandates of the summit process.

As preparations get under way for the Sixth Summit of the Americas, “in keeping with IICA’s role in this process, IICA reaffirms that will continue to strengthen the link between the ministerial process ‘Agriculture and Rural Life in the Americas’ and the summits.”

With these words, IICA’s Secretary of External Affairs, Lars Pira, ratified the Institute’s commitment to the summit process and the organization’s desire to see issues related to agriculture and rural life - such as climate change, food security and natural resources - remain on the agenda.

Pira gave his presentation during the Fortieth General Assembly of the OAS, held from 6-8 June in Lima, Peru. Some 33 ministers of foreign affairs and heads of delegation from the organization’s member countries attended the event, where they discussed, among other issues, arms control in the region and matters of hemispheric interest related to ‘Peace, security and cooperation in the Americas,’ the theme of the assembly.

The Secretary of External Affairs took advantage of the occasion to explain the four core areas of cooperation on which the Institute will be focusing its action for the next four years: competitiveness, production and agricultural markets; territories and rural well-being; natural resources and climate change; and food security.

He announced that IICA would also be contributing reports on topics within its remit for inclusion on the agenda of Sixth Summit of the Americas.

Pira, who took up his post a few months ago, said the creation of the Secretariat of External Affairs demonstrated the importance that IICA attributed to the Summit of the Americas process and work with different strategic partners in the hemisphere.

For more information, contact
lars.pira@iica.int